Chapter 167

[Translator - Jjescus]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 167

──────

Traveler II

"Welcome, Doctor Jang."

As I looked at them, they were looking at me.

Sitting in the emergency exit row at the front of the plane, a "Doctor Jang" was glaring at me skeptically.

"Though I don't know which world line's Doctor Jang you are."

"Is this the 107th one now?"

"Adding the companions, it's 214 people in total."

Murmuring filled the cabin.

Hundreds of Doctor Jangs each added a comment or let out a scoff. The plane quickly became noisy.

"Well, if you all are really human, it wouldn't be wrong to use the term 'people.' But what if everyone except me is a monster?"

"Oh. There’s a smart 'me' here. I was just thinking the same thing. Why don’t you set an example by getting exterminated first?"

I started to feel dizzy.

"...Wait a minute. Stop whispering among yourselves and explain it to me. What is this creature? A doppelgänger? The doppelgänger should be inside Cheon Yohwa's Pokéball right now."

"Explain it? Ha. If you don't have a bird brain inside your skull, count the numbers, you idiot."

Doctor Jangs sighed, shrugged, or chomped down on the in-flight peanuts.

"You are the 107th 'me.'"

"Got it? The 107th. Every time 'I' get on this plane, we explain the situation, so we've already explained it dozens of times."

"Even for someone like me, who enjoys every turn and finds it refreshing each time, I don’t look forward to repeating this explanation so many times in such a short period."

"No choice. I, the 106th one, will explain."

Another Doctor Jang, stood up.

Oddly enough, this Doctor Jang was wearing a Sherlock Holmes hat, perhaps deluding himself into thinking he was born on Baker Street in London.

Although they were all the same Doctor Jang, there were subtle differences in detail. Some Doctor Jangs were even wearing animal costumes alongside their companions. What’s your deal?

"We all decided to go on a 'journey with Tang Seorin' for various reasons. 107th, where are you planning to go?"

"...The Uyuni Salt Flats."

"Oh, no."

Sighs were heard from various places. The 106th Doctor Jang, Sherlock, looked at us with eyes full of sympathy.

"Wasn’t there a time when Hayul lost her heart and came back from there?"

"Hah. Did Hayul really die during the 110th turn in your world? Pathetic. I saved her."

"Wasn’t that place where Incan and Aztec myths mixed together to create something horrific?"

"That's the place where humanity's first perpetual motion machine was developed. It automatically refuels with solar energy as long as you offer a human heart."

"......"

Next to me, Tang Seorin gripped my hand tightly. Her palm felt unusually hot.

"...Doctor Jang, what are they talking about? Turns? What do they mean by going on a journey with Hayul?"

"Foolish. Your Doctor Jang, no, all our Doctor Jangs are regressors. The 107th 'me.'"

The Tang Seorin in the front row spoke.

By the way, this Tang Seorin wasn’t wearing a witch's hat or robe. Surprisingly, she was dressed in a "school uniform."

A school uniform? Isn't that the exclusive uniform of our rival, Baekhwa Girls' High School?

Of course, the original Tang Seorin (107th) wasn’t pleased with that outfit.Vissit novelbin(.)c.om for updates

Tang Seorin looked as if she had spotted a spectator at a military parade in North Korea cosplay.

"Who are you?"

"Tang Seorin. And a cultured person who’s kindly explaining the situation to someone dressed ridiculously."

School Uniform Tang Seorin smiled gently.

"Doctor Jang is a regressor. He’s already repeated hundreds of times. If you are truly 'me,' haven’t you suspected as much?"

"......"

"Now, you're going to turn around and ask Doctor Jang, 'Is this true?' Just like I did. I understand how you feel, but I wish you would consider our position of having to watch it. I’ve already seen that scene 100 times."

At that moment.

Doctor Jang seated in the middle of the plane stood up. Uniquely, this Doctor Jang spoke in honorifics.

"Everyone. One of us has to get off here."

"What?"

"How dense are you? Haven’t you figured it out yet?"

The Honorifics Doctor Jang grinned slyly as he smiled.

"With the last Doctor Jang's entry, the number of people on this plane has been confirmed as 214. Exactly the same as the death toll from the 1997 Flight 801 crash."

"Oh."

"Indeed."

"Haha. Now you realize. Well, late, but not too late. Yes, everyone. If this plane takes off as it is, a tragedy will inevitably occur."

I opened my mouth, feeling troubled.

“First of all... let’s all sit down and talk. The furry Doctor Jang may have been dismembered, but they did bring up a valid point: we need to unite.”

- Hmm.

- Hmmm.

“If we join forces, we would be unstoppable. Forget about that old man in charge of the show—we’ll save the world on our own.”

- But if everyone but me is an anomaly, doesn’t that make such a proposition meaningless?

“That’s where my suggestion comes in.”

I smirked confidently.

“If you're not an anomaly, the saintess’ [Clairvoyance] and [Telepathy] should work on you.”

- Oh?

“This is the Void Space. It only looks like space, but we’re probably still hovering above the Korean Peninsula. If telepathy doesn’t work on any of Doctor Jangs here, then that person is an imposter—an anomaly.”

- Makes sense.

- Brilliant plan.

As I nodded in response to Doctor Jangs' admiration, I looked up at the airplane ceiling.

“Now, Saintess? Are you watching? Please respond.”

[Yes.]

“I knew you were watching. Thank goodness. So, please tell me who among us is an imposter...”

It was at that moment.

[Yes.]

[Yes.]

[Yes.]

The saintess’ voice started to "overlap."

“Huh?”

It didn’t stop there.

[Yes.] [Yes.] [Yes.] [Yes.] [Yes.] [Yes.] [Yes.] [Yes.] [Yes.] [Yes.] [Yes.] [Yes.] [Yes.] [Yes.] [Yes.] [Yes.] [Yes.] [Yes.] [Yes.] [Yes.]

[I’m looking through everyone now.]

[But it’s hard to tell who’s an imposter. All of my ‘clairvoyance’ is working.]

[Believe it or not, every Doctor Jang and witches present.]

[Seems to be real. Although, I should consider the possibility that I, myself, may have been infected by an anomaly.]

[Doctor Jang?]

[Doctor Jang, why aren’t you responding?]

[Doctor Jang?] [Doctor Jang?] [Doctor Jang?] [Doctor Jang?] [Doctor Jang?] [Doctor Jang?] [Doctor Jang?] [Doctor Jang?] [Doctor Jang?]

"...."

Well.

Yeah.

We’re completely screwed.

‘Wait a second.’

An unsettling thought crossed my mind.

If there were 51 Doctor Jangs and 51 witches, and if there were also 51 saintesses—then, by the same logic, couldn’t there be 51 versions of everyone on this plane?

‘And what about the anomalies?’

Wouldn’t the same reasoning apply?

What if even the anomalies and the forsaken gods had been multiplied by 51 times?

In other words, this wasn’t a "Hey, let’s duplicate all Doctor Jangs!" event. No, there was no way something so beneficial would happen.

It was the exact opposite. This plane itself was a "Alien God Gacha Probability UP Pickup Event."

“....”

- ...

- ...

We, Doctor Jangs, exchanged covert glances with each other.

The tension in the air was palpable. Everyone here must have communicated with their respective "Saintesses" and encountered the same phenomenon I did.

And they must have reached the same conclusion.

‘If, by the time the plane lands, [more than one Doctor Jang] disembarks, and the existence of multiple Doctor Jangs is confirmed on the ground—’

‘Then the anomalies and forsaken gods will multiply just as much!’

‘If all 51 Doctor Jangs remain, then surely 51 versions of the god Koyori will also exist.’

‘This is insane.’

‘Only one Doctor Jang must disembark from this plane.’

That’s right.

From now on, it’s time to (kill me).

[Translator - Jjescus]

[Proofreader - Gun]